Fritillaria bulbs are in the lily family, and they resemble lily species with hanging bell-shaped flowers, tall flowering stalks, and lush foliage around their base. Their bulbs allow them to suck in energy, nutrients, and moisture at the end of the growing season; they enter dormancy and stay hidden below ground until spring warmth arrives once again.
Non-native and native fritillaries are hardy in the U.S. since their bulbs allow them to hide underground while aboveground conditions are less favorable. For easy cultivation, grow these perennials in borders, raised beds, or containers. They also naturalize well in cottage gardens and don’t spread aggressively.
Some species have an unfavorable aroma, although some people like the smell. Try to find a variety in a friend or neighbor’s yard first to smell—if you find the aroma offensive, you may not want to grow it in your garden. Crown imperial is the smelliest, and other varieties lack fragrance altogether. Choose one that works best for you and your nose.
Without further ado, here are 17 fritillaria varieties to plant this season. We’ll start with North American native species and move our way over through Europe and Asia.
Checker Lily
Checker, or chocolate, lily is a West Coast native wildflower. It sprouts hanging bell flowers with yellow and maroon checker markings on the petals. They attract pollinating insects with nectar and pollen, and their seed pods attract deer, birds, and other grazers.
Checker lilies need well-drained soil, partial shade, and some water during the growing season. They’re drought-tolerant once they establish themselves and may rot if you give them too much water. These native bulbs function well alongside wildflowers with similar growing requirements like Columbia lilies and Pacific bleeding heart.
Spotted Fritillary
Spotted fritillaria is another West Coast wildflower that provides beneficial resources for pollinators and local animals. It sprouts yellow-petalled blossoms with dark maroon-green spots atop two-foot-tall stems. Find spotted fritillaries growing throughout western Washington, Oregon, and California, and grow eastward to the Dakotas and Nebraska.
This wildflower thrives on forest edges, rocky slopes, and meadows in their native range. They also function well in pollinator gardens throughout North America from USDA zones five to nine. Give them low water in well-draining soil for the growing season and little water during dormancy to keep the dirt moist but not soggy.
Mission Bells
Mission bells are smaller, shorter native wildflowers than spotted fritillary and checker lily. They sprout maroon-brown flowers that hang on squat stalks. Their stamens and pistils in the center are yellow, and they contrast beautifully with the reddish petals. Sometimes, their petals also have yellow markings near the flower’s center.
Mission bells are California native plants, and they tolerate more drought than other Fritillaria species. ‘Martha Roderick’ is a funky variety; it has brownish-orange flowers with white centers. Grow mission bells in conditions matching chaparral or dry grassland ecosystems.
Chocolate Lily
Chocolate lilies have the right name—they bloom bell blossoms in deep brown shades that resemble dark chocolate. Although they look delicious, they emit a foul smell that may be offensive to some gardeners. The rotten odor attracts flies that pollinate the flowers, similar to how carrion cactus sprouts fly-attracting blossoms. Grow this bulbing wildflower only if you have a resistant nose!
This fritillaria species is native to the Pacific Northwest, and it also originates from Japan and Siberia. Chocolate lilies thrive with low summer moisture, spring or fall rains, and well-draining but humus-rich soil. Apply a layer of enriching compost to the site as they go dormant in summer or fall, and also as they emerge in spring.
Fox’s Grape Fritillary
Fox’s grape fritillary stands out from other fritillaria varieties, as it has brown-maroon petals with yellow lips, and they curl up tight into a hanging bell shape. They range from a few to seven flowers per stalk and are a perfect addition to cottage-style, pollinator, or backyard gardens.
Fox’s grape fritillary originates from Turkey and Iran, and it appreciates cold winters and warm, sunny springs with some rainfall. Water them as they sprout and flower, letting the soil dry between waterings. This fritillary is hardy in cool winter zones but struggles where heat is extreme.
Crown Imperial
Crown imperial is one of the most famous Fritillaria species to ever exist, with dozens of cultivated varieties. It shoots up stalks up to three feet tall, and yellow, orange, or red flowers bloom as they hang off the stalks’ tops. Above the flowers lie a crown of leaves, hence its name “crown imperial.” This type, like chocolate lilies, emits a rotten, foul smell while it blooms. Plant it away from your doorway if you’re sensitive to the aroma.
As crown imperial is a longtime garden favorite, plant breeders create new varieties each year to meet commercial demands. Try ‘Chopin’ for red-orange blossoms, ‘Vivaldi’ for yellow peach, and ‘Lutea’ for bright yellow.
Snake’s Head Fritillary
Purple-white checkered petals make the snake’s head fritillary stand out, akin to crown imperial in the ornamental garden. Above these flowers sprout slender leaves that bend over and resemble a snake’s head. The bulbs sprout in early spring and enter dormancy from summer through late winter.
A single bulb will create more underground and pollinated flowers spread seeds aboveground. These two methods create small, deciduous clumps after a few years, with multiple blooming stems. Let them naturalize, or dig them up as they go dormant and transplant the bulbs where you’d like them to grow.
Pointed Petal Fritillary
Pointed petals adorn pointed petal fritillary! The name matches the plant, as this perennial bulb forms red interior petals that have lips, and yellow petals on top with curves at their end. Its leaves are narrow and irregular throughout the stalks, giving this species a dainty, woodland charm.
Pointed petal fritillary sprouts flowers and foliage in spring; the flowers morph into seed pods by summer, and foliage persists until autumn cold arrives. Plant bulbs four times as deep as their length in fall or spring, then water well. They’ll persist annually and create bulbils belowground that form clumps of blooming stalks.
Lebanese Fritillary
Lebanese fritillary survives freezing temperatures more than most other Fritillaria varieties! Its native range is from Turkey to Lebanon, where winters are cool and dry, so it’s cold-hardy in North America from zones 3 through 8. Lebanese fritillary use bulbs to store energy and resources during extreme weather, making it an excellent choice for rock gardens, sunny borders, or pollinator gardens under full sun conditions.
Lebanese fritillary sprouts tubular flowers with brown-purple and green-yellow stripes. It’s a graceful species that stays low to the ground, sprouting thin, lance-shaped leaves around its stems. Grow it with other cold-hardy Fritillaria varieties for a mass of different colors, structures, and heights.
Michael’s Flower
Michael’s flower resembles the fox’s grape fritillary with similar petal colors, but the blossom shape is more open, and points protrude at each petal’s end. Michael’s flower survives with strong, hardy bulbs. It sprouts short stalks and small leaves but beautiful, bulging flowers.
Use this species for alpine or rock gardens or any other location with lots of sunlight and well-draining soil. Plants appreciate little water during the growing season when their soil completely dries. Michael’s flower is drought-tolerant and adapts well to containers so long as it has porous, loose soil.
European Fritillary
European fritillary is a longtime favorite for gardeners to plant worldwide. Yellow flowers open in early spring with little tings of red on their petals. They have ruffly edges on their ends, and each bloom dangles and dances these ruffles as winds blow through them.
This species tolerates more shade than other fritillaries so long as it has free-draining soil with lots of gravel, sand, or perlite. Plant bulbs four times as deep as their length and water sparingly while they grow foliage and flowers. Cut back on watering while they enter dormancy in early summer—they’ll stay asleep until late winter next year.
Siberian Fritillary
Siberian fritillary pockets landscapes throughout Central Asia. It’s a graceful Fritillaria variety with slender green leaves and yellow tube-shaped flowers. They hang in clusters on stalks that reach no taller than a foot or two.
Siberian fritillary survives cold winters down to zone 3 and appreciates similar conditions to the Lebanese fritillary. Plant them in a rock garden, alpine garden, or a raised bed with porous soil. They’ll grow well alongside bulbs like daffodils, tulips, and trilliums.
Thunberg Fritillary
Native to China, Thunberg fritillary naturalizes well in North America, Japan, and Europe. Its flowers conceal a surprise inside—the petals are light yellow on the outside and have maroon markings on their interiors. They open up fully as they age before turning into brown, dry seed pods.
Thunberg fritillary appreciates moist, well-draining soil and partial shade conditions. It grows naturally in open forests and meadows. This species may also grow with six to eight hours of direct sunlight, but it’ll need more water during the growing season to stay perky and blooming.
Persian Lily
Persian lily originates from western Asia, where it grows seasonally with rainfall, full sun exposure, and free-draining soil around its roots. This is one of the most fantastic fritillaries, with flower spikes holding dozens of maroon-black bell-shaped flowers that hang down. It looks stunning amongst pink-purple foxglove flowers in a border or open garden.
‘Adiyaman’ is a unique cultivated variety of Fritillaria with stems that reach two to three feet tall and more blooms than the species type. It’s vigorous and hardy, although its stems are frost-tender in early spring. Protect them with mulch coverings if you expect late frosts.
Fritillaria Raddeana
This fritillary lacks a common name, but not for lack of beauty. Fritillaria raddeana blooms clusters of open yellow-green flowers with golden stamens and pistils. Below the blooms sprout triangular leaves with maroon-green hues. This stunner is an attractive specimen around deciduous shrubs and trees, and it’ll slowly create a small clump with time.
Like the crown imperial and chocolate lily, F. raddeana has a fragrance some gardeners might find offensive. Grow it away from your doorway, patio, or balcony to avoid its smell. The aroma will attract pollinating flies, who ensure seeds form. Collect the pods from summer through fall to sow new bulbs.
Fritillaria Sewerzowii
This fritillary is hardy, gorgeous, and stately. It’s a unique cultivar for the rare plant collector in all of us. Yellow-green or purple-maroon blooms sprout in different shades depending on where the bulbs originate. They fall out of stalks no taller than two feet, with maroon, gray, and green-colored foliage.
This species, like most others, forms clumps over time. Plant a few bulbs this year, and you’ll find dozens of blooming stalks in spring within a few seasons. Give this species full sun, some water while it flowers, and well-drained soil.
Fritillaria Verticillata
You’ll have to peek inside this cultivar to see the dark netting on the petals’ interiors. Fritillaria verticillata stems reach two to three feet tall, and they have dangling blossoms on them during spring. The petals’ exteriors are creamy yellow with slight patterns, and they hint at what you can find when you peek inside.
This fritillary needs similar conditions as crown imperial. It likes some moisture while it’s sprouting foliage and blossoms but needs drier conditions once it goes dormant. Grow F. verticillata in a rock, alpine, or sunny cottage-style garden.
